Block-heads

Though it's far from the funniest of their features, I have a special affection for this 1938 Laurel and Hardy vehicle: next to the classic two-reeler Their First Mistake, it's the team's most sustained examination of their relationship. Tenderness alternates with rage, and the gay subtext is given its dignified due, in one of the most affecting portraits of male friendship this side of Howard Hawks. John Blystone directed, though the artistic control, as always, was Laurel's. With Billy Gilbert, Minna Gombell, and James Finlayson. 55 min.